Billy Elliot's early goodbye
The Chicago engagement of the musical Billy Elliot is closing early, despite its arrival in March of this year with a roster of rave reviews and an impressive array of 10 Tony Awards. Instead of closing in January, producers are ending the run of Billy Elliot at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 28 ( missing out on the typically lucrative Christmas holiday season ) .
It's a bit of a blow to Broadway in Chicago, and to the Windy City's reputation of hosting long hit runs of other musical hits like Wicked ( three years ) and Jersey Boys ( two years ) . But unlike those shows that respectively had America's built-in love for The Wizard of Oz and a nostalgic jukebox score, Billy Elliot tackled more serious real-life issues with a very thick Northern English accent.
The two times I caught Billy Elliot, I overheard some audience members complaining at intermission at how very British the whole show was ( not a problem for me since I'm a huge Anglophile ) . Then there's the global economic downturn to consider, which might have kept local audiences from repeat visits to compare and contrast the different strengths of the rotating young Billy actors.
Still, I felt the story of a young lad who defies the odds and his hard-scrabble community to pursue his dream of dancing to be a universal and uplifting story. So if you've been dragging your feet on seeing the show, now is the time to buy your tickets to see this superlative staging before it heads to Toronto early next year.
For more information on the final four weeks of Billy Elliot's Chicago run, visit www.broadwayinchicago.com .
Exits and entrances
Chicago's theater artistic administrative landscape has seen a few shakeups in the past few weeks and months.
Strawdog Theatre ensemble member and Next Theatre associate artist Jennifer Avery was initially serving as the interim artistic director for Next Theatre in Evanston ( following the dismissal of Jason Southerland who was accused of plagiarism and copyright violations on the production The Return to Haifa ) .
Now Avery has been officially appointed as Next Theatre's new artistic director. She's joined by Jim Davis as producing director, and Avery has already switched the season's lineup of plays to match her vision ( the regional premiere of Julie Cho's The Piano Teacher kicks off Next Theatre's 30th anniversary season with a run from Nov. 4 to Dec. 5 ) .
L. Walter Stearns is abandoning ship from his artistic director position with Porchlight Music Theatre ( a role he's had since in 1998 ) . According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, Stearns is to be the executive director of the Mercury Theatre on Southport Ave. A private group of investors has purchased the theater from long-time owner Michael Cullen, who suffered a stroke in January.
The 298-seat Mercury Theatre is set not only to continue as a rental house, but one that will produce its own shows.
At the start of this year, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company co-founder and artistic director James Bohnen announced his intention to step down at the end of the 2010-11 season ( he's been with the troupe since 1996 ) .
Earlier this month, Remy Bumppo Theatre announced Timothy Douglas is to be the company's next artistic director. Douglas worked in the Chicago area from 1988-1991, before going on to serve as a resident director for the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles from 1994-1997, and as an associate artistic director at Actor's Theatre of Louisville from 2001-2004.
Though Douglas' new position beings in July of 2011, he is slated to join the company on a part-time advisory basis for the rest of the season to work on the company's programming and budgeting for the future.
Halloween theater haunts
If you like your Halloween entertainment to come with generous amounts of camp comedy, then be sure not to miss the following shows playing around Chicago. They'll definitely help you catch the campy Halloween spirit.
The Annoyance Theatre has always been great for providing scary laughs, and there are plenty of shows playing in repertory to choose from. If you like your history to be sung, then check out the Lizzie Borden musical 40 Whacks and the witch trial show Salem! The Musical. If you prefer you horror flicks spoofed, then catch a revival of Splatter Theater, the Annoyance's first-ever show. And any time is a good time to catch Co-Ed Prison Sluts. Visit www.annoyanceproductions.com for more information on all these productions.
Hell in a Handbag Productions also offers a campy way to celebrate the season with David Cerda's original comedy The Rip Nelson Halloween Spooktacular. Ed Jones stars as the 1960s comedian who his doing his damn best to revive his flagging career. The show plays until Nov. 6 at Mary's Attic. Visit www.handbagproductions.org for more details.
Who knew that John Carpenter's 1980 horror flick Halloween could be combined with the easy rock ballads of Karen and Richard Carpenter? Find out when the revival of Carpenters' Halloween plays until Oct. 30, this time at Circuit nightclub. Visit bigtopjojo.com for more information.
Before there was The Rocky Horror Picture Show, there was the London and Broadway stage musical of The Rocky Horror Show. Night Blue Theater gives Rocky Horror fans a chance to see the original show through Oct. 30 at Stage 773. Visit www.nightbluetheater.com for more information.
Jeff Awards
By now, the 2009-10 Joseph Jefferson Awards for professional Equity theater in and around Chicago have been handed out. An earlier deadline for this column prevents me from naming all the winners who were announced on Monday, Oct. 25, during a ceremony at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace.
Still, I can make some safe assumptions. Rachel Rockwell's superlative production of the musical Ragtime for Drury Lane should rightfully clean up several awards, while Kristoffer Diaz's Pulitzer-finalist pro-wrestling drama The Elaborate Entry of Chad Deity should anoint several awards for its co-producers of Victory Gardens Theater and Teatro Vista.
Visit www.jeffawards.org for a full list of winners.
